


To Have and to Hold

by amethyst-noir (Arbonne)



Series: Prompt Collection [30]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Banter, First Kiss, Flirting, Getting Together, M/M, Mutual Pining, Stephen Strange gets hugged by people, Stephen's magic portals, Tony Stark Has A Heart, and Tony - Freeform, sadly no actual butterflies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-10
Updated: 2019-01-10
Packaged: 2019-10-07 18:18:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17370932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arbonne/pseuds/amethyst-noir
Summary: "Please tell me that I don't have to get more explicit. Or that I'm misreading this situation. That would be embarrassing. I'm not used to people not reacting when I try to flirt with them."Or: Two times Stephen gets huggend by people who consider him a friend and the one time Tony gets to cling to him.





	To Have and to Hold

**Author's Note:**

> After a lot of pain and drama I got this cute little prompt:  
>  _Happy Prompt for You: Stephen cuddling with someone. Thor/hulk/tony/etc/all of the above. Just Stephen feeling loved and accepted._
> 
> Yay, thank you for this one! 💞 This is exactly what's in the prompt: Stephen gets hugged by Thor and Bruce before he finally lands where he belongs - in Tony's arms. And bed. And life.

"You did good, Wizard!"

Thor's joyous voice boomed across the room and he came to Stephen at a near run. Before Stephen could react to that, let alone say something, he was enveloped in the biggest, tightest hug of his life. "Thank you for helping my brother," Thor almost shouted into his hear and Stephen winced before he gathered his wits enough to whisper a pained "Thank you" against the pressure. He even managed to return the gesture, although with considerably less force.

When Thor let go of him and gifted him with the brightest smile he'd ever seen Stephen automatically smiled back. That smile alone was worth everything, even if it meant that Loki could now freely roam on Earth. He felt the force of Thor's embrace for the rest of the day and caught himself smiling every time a careless movement reminded him of the incredible strength of the God.

*

"Thank you, Stephen." Bruce hesitated for a moment before he finally visibly gathered himself and darted forward to hug Stephen for a second or so before withdrawing again. Stephen barely had the chance to even feel the barely there pressure. "Tony was right in sending me to you. You're a lifesaver, you know that?"

He did, actually, but he'd learned the hard way that it was often better to keep his mouth shut and even managed to so most of the time by now. "My pleasure," he said instead and smiled.

Bruce smiled back and it was wonderful to see the depressed, sad man from a week ago who had come to Stephen for help with a not so little Hulk-related problem happy. Bruce _was_ a nice guy, just as Tony had told him over and over again, and it had been good to get to know him better over the last few days.

"Take care of yourself and if you need something from me - you know where to find me."

Bruce nodded. "You'll come over to the Compound for the presentation tonight?"

Stephen hesitated. On the pro side there was the fact that Tony would be there. On the contra side was the fact that Tony would be there. "I don't know…," he hedged but Bruce uncharacteristically talked right over him.

"Great! I'll see you then! Thor will be there, too, and he already told me that he looks forward to seeing you again. He kind of adopted you after you helped Loki, you know? And Tony told me to make sure that you come. Mumbled something about not having you seen in a while or something. He really wants you there."

 _He talks with me as if we're friends_ , Stephen suddenly realized and tried to keep his shock off his face. He didn't even dare to think about the other things Bruce had said.

"I'll be there," he promised quietly and not quite sincerely. His smile felt rather artificial but he was rewarded with a genuine one from Bruce.

"Good. Can we go together through one of your portal things? I've wanted to do that since I saw it for the first time!"

 _Damn._ It seemed that he really couldn't escape. "Sure. Just let me get my Cloak and we can go." If he sneaked in early enough there might be chance of hiding away in the shadows until it was over.

He wanted to see Tony, yes, but he didn't want to be seen by the man in return.

 _I'm an idiot_ , he hold himself for the thousandth time as the conjured the portal and made a bow complete with an inviting hand gesture to let Bruce go through it first.

Bruce did with the wide-eyed wonder of a child, probably trying to explain it scientifically to himself. It was charming and Stephen followed, pleased that such a simple gesture could produce so much happiness. 

*

Tony's presentation for the newest upgrades on the Compound - complete with a round-up of all the members auf the New Avengers Initiative - was brilliant, Stephen had to admit that. The man was a natural speaker in front of crowds and his charisma was indescribable. Stephen listened with sincere fascination and interest and completely missed the moment when he should have vanished into the night.

Because as soon as Tony was finished, and the press conference broke up into something more like a party, he zeroed in on Stephen like one of those old Stark missiles. And just like those he didn't miss his mark. Stephen was helplessly caught by Tony's presence and the stunning and _real_ smile Tony gifted him with. There was no way he was able to leave now. He wanted to reach out and touch but he knew that Tony didn't like that. Instead he crossed his hands behind his back to keep them still and his hands out of sight.

"There you are, magic man! I was afraid that you'd already flown away before I could catch you."

"Fly away? Catch me?" Stephen echoed incredulously while thinking _what the fuck!?_ and _damn, he looks **good**_ at the same time. He barely managed to keep his eyes on Tony face and concentrated on his gorgeous eyes in an effort to not eat the man alive. Tony looked _amazing_ in his tailored suit and his hair only minimally styled. He also looked healthy, rested and years younger than he was. Stephen would be jealous if he hadn't been so turned on that there was no place for other emotions. He was only glad for the Cloak, which was heaven-sent in hiding the evidence of his excitement. "Who do you think I am - Dracula?" He _almost_ pulled off his trademark haughty tone.

Tony let his gaze wander over Stephens body for a long moment. It was enough to make a grown man blush and Stephen was no exception. He only hoped that the dim light covered his reaction. "Well, you've got the physique, I've got to give you that. Tall, dark, handsome. And mysterious. Can't forget the mysterious air of magic surrounding you." Tony laughed but it was clear that he really meant the words. "Seriously," he finally said. "I haven't seen you in ages. Busy saving us all from some unspeakable horror?"

 _More alone at home, reading ancients texts about everything and feeling lonely._ Life had been boring lately but he tried to be grateful for that, he really did. Stephen tried to smile back but feared it didn't look half as good as Tony's. He'd lost all his talent for events like this and he hated how insecure and out of place they now made him feel. "Something like that, yes."

"Do you have time?"

"Time for what?"

"Great! Come on! FRI? If anyone asks we're in my workshop and not to be disturbed, okay?"

"Got it, Boss."

"Thanks, babygirl." Tony smiled again and made an inviting gesture to the nearby elevator. "After you, Doctor Strange." Did Stephen imagine it or was there really a hand on his back, guiding him into the elevator?

Curiouser and curiouser. Stephen's curiosity had always been one of his greatest strengths and weaknesses both and now it was once again his downfall. "What can I do for you, Tony?" he asked when they were finally alone in Tony's private refugium inside the Compound. Nobody could get in here without express permission and Stephen had only seen it once before. He was more than willing to help although he couldn't imagine what Tony could want or need from him.

Tony grinned at him as he came back from the bar and handed him a glass before gesturing at Stephen to sit down on the large couch dominating one corner of the large room. "Absolutely nothing. I just wanted to get you alone for a moment. You've been too flighty those last few weeks. Everytime I tried to pin you down you were either away or on your way to somewhere. I had to enlist Bruce to make sure to get you here today, for heaven's sake!"

"Bruce came to me…"

"… because you could help him, yes, yes. But who do you think _told_ him that? I also told him to get you here and if he had to hulk out to drag you here." Tony toasted him with his glass.

Stephen gently let their glasses clink together before savoring a small sip. Then he carefully set the glass down, conscious of his shaking hands. In all the chaos he had forgotten his gloves at home and regretted it immensely.

"Don't," Tony begged when he tried to hide them beneath the Cloak. "Don't hide them," he clarified when Stephen just looked at him. "Please. You don't have to. Not here. Not with me."

And Stephen, unsure, out of his depth and drunk on just being in Tony's presence said the most stupid thing he could have: "They're not pretty." As if to illustrate the point he held them up for a moment to show off their shaking before folding them into his lap. The tremors and the scars were barely visible that way.

Tony nudged the glass into his direction. "No," he agreed. "They're _beautiful_. Just like the rest of you." He smiled once again but it morphed into a pained grimace. "Please tell me that I don't have to get more explicit. Or that I'm misreading this situation. That would be embarrassing. I'm not used to people not reacting when I try to flirt with them." 

"So that's what we're doing?" He arched an eyebrow and looked Tony in the eyes. His very gorgeous, very expressive eyes. Despite the butterflies that suddenly seemed to exist inside of him Stephen managed to stay rather cool and collected at the outside. Or so he thought. Hoped. He followed Tony's invitation and took the glass with both hands to keep it secure. He took another sip, a bigger one this time. The stuff was _good_ and Stephen closed his eyes for a moment to really savor it. It had been a long time, after all, the memories of those days gone past finally didn't hurt anymore. When he opened his eyes he smiled.

Tony grinned back, delighted. "I think so, yes. At least _I'm_ trying my best here, I'm not so sure about you."

"It's been a while," Stephen admitted softly. "I'm a little bit out of practice." _And not sure why you of all people want to flirt with me._

"That's hard to imagine." Tony's voice was still gentle and teasing. "You haven't sworn some oath of celibacy or something, have you? Because let me tell you: That would be a shame."

"No oath," Stephen confirmed with a smile. "I'm free to do whatever I want with whomever I want."

Tony suddenly put down his glass, stood up and held out both his hands in invitation. "What a coincidence. So am I."

Stephen had no idea what might be going on in the brilliant and inscrutable mind of Tony but he was relaxed enough to just go with it. After a moment of contemplation he put down his own glass before he reached out and let Tony help him up, curious where this might be going. A dance? A kiss?

Neither, it turned out. Stephen was barely on his feet when he was taken into the tightest embrace of his life. Tony downright _clung_ to him for a long moment before the took a step back. "Sorry about that," he said, "but I wanted to do that for a while now." Before Stephen could react to that Tony reached out and carefully pushed a strand of Stephen's hair back. "It really moves on his own. I like it." He gently traced Stephen's temple and cheekbone for a moment before he leaned in for a tentative kiss. "I like _you_ ," he whispered and the butterflies in Stephen stomach suddenly took flight as he leaned forward to meet Tony halfway. Suddenly there was nothing tentative about it anymore.

Stephen, despite being the taller one, found himself held secure in Tony's embrace when the kiss eventually ended. He just about managed to put his head on Tony's shoulder without breaking his neck, just breathing in his wonderful scent and enjoying the moment. He didn't know what to say and opted to stay silent. Apparently so did Tony. Eventually they began to move in tandem, not really dancing but swaying to an inaudible music.

"This is nice," Stephen finally said after an eternity when it was clear that Tony was unwilling to break the silence.

"Very," Tony agreed after a long moment. "But I have an even nicer bedroom if you'd like to see it."

"That's far away, isn't it?" And the nice, big couch was just behind them…

Tony took a deep breath and suddenly his whole body tensed up before he forced himself to relax. "It's only a portal away, I think." _I trust you_ , Stephen heard and he couldn't breathe for a moment or two. Just like that the butterflies were back. If he hadn't been halfway in love with Tony before those words would have make him fall hard and fast in an instant.

"My pleasure," he agreed and conjured one to Tony's penthouse apartment.

Tony held on to his hand tightly but stepped through it without hesitation.

**Author's Note:**

> My [Tumblr](https://amethyst-noir.tumblr.com/) where a lot of short Ironstrange posts and headcanons hang around, if you're into this sort of thing. 💞 Thank you for reading.


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